Award Winning Jalapeno Popper Burger & Jalapeno Bottle Caps

Award Winning Jalapeno Popper Burger

Several months ago I entered a local burger contest and by popular vote, I WON!  Super exciting!  I love burgers but often at home they go the turkey burger route and end up bunless, so when this burger was produced for the public it really was a treat.  However, I didn’t make it myself so while the idea was mine I didn’t actually make it and wasn’t entirely sure how I would.  Over the last few months I have played test kitchen and I finally have the recipe perfected!  Now, you could do this as a turkey burger but sometimes I just crave a good old American hamburger, made of the best ground beef you can get your hands on.  The burger place had been using Pat LaFrieda beef which we are lucky enough to be able to get our hands on through Fresh Direct but any ground beef that is high quality and 80/20 blend will do perfectly.  This recipe is for two burgers with all the fixings including jalapeno bottle caps!!!

Ingredients

12 oz. ground beef, I used Pat LaFrieda short rib blend from Fresh Direct which comes 4 patties to a pack

4 slices cheddar cheese from the deli

½ tsp. onion powder

Salt and pepper

4 tbsp. whipped cream cheese or softened cream cheese

2 buns, from the bakery or bakery section of the supermarket, seeded or not

Shredded lettuce

Slices of tomato

Coconut Oil or cooking oil of your choice

Jalapeno Bottle Caps (Recipe to follow)

Instructions

Season your ground beef or beef patties with salt, pepper and onion powder. 

Heat a large nonstick pan with your cooking oil and add your burgers cook about 3 minutes and flip, cook for 3 more minutes and add cheese and cover the pan.  This will get you a nice medium rare to medium burger and remember DON’T PRESS DOWN ON THEM!!!

On your buns spread the softened or whipped cream cheese on the bottom bun, season with salt and pepper, add the lettuce and tomato then your burger, add the remaining cream cheese to the top bun and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Top with jalapeno bottle caps, as few or as many as you like and enjoy!!!

If you want to kick this up even further, take the cream cheese and put it in the blender with a jalapeno and two green onion tops and blend it up!  You’ll end up with a fiercely green firey cream cheese spread that is phenomenal for a spicy fan and was excellent on some pretzel rods as a snack!

Jalapeno Bottle Caps

6 jalapenos sliced into half inch rounds

½ cup flour

4 tbsp. cornmeal

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. papricka

1 cup buttermilk

Salt and pepper

2 cups frying oil (vegetable or canola)

Instructions

In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, cornmeal, salt pepper, garlic powder and paprika with the buttermilk and mix until combined.  Add the jalapenos and mix until well coated.

In a medium pot add your cooking oil and heat it.  Carefully add the jalapenos, divide them into three batches mentally and add them to the oil.  Carefully move them around with a slotted spoon and cook until golden brown.  Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Repeat as necessary.

This makes far more than you will need for two burgers but they are delicious on their own or dipped into the extra cream cheese as a party snack!